Talented, always smiling and a great teammate. Those were the words that best described defender and captain of Chivas USA’s U17/18 squad Julio Chávez, who passed away over the weekend in a car accident in Modesto, Calif. Chavez is survived by his parents Francisco and Isabel Chávez, and four siblings, Francisco, Claudia, Rafael and Cecilia.

Chávez, who had been a part of Chivas USA’s Youth Academy for over three years, worked hard to become what he always dreamed of, a professional soccer player. In the 2012/2013 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season, the Modesto, Calif. native played 13 games (eight starts) since an ACL tear cut his season in half.

Despite his injury, Chavez, who lived with a family in Southern California, continued attending his team’s training sessions in the City of Bell Gardens and was even able to recover ahead of planned.

“He did a great job in the recovering process and became a strong part of the U18 team in the last six games winning streak. He then started as a center back and became the captain, leading the group into the playoffs,” said Chivas USA’s U18 Assistant Coach Mike Munoz.

Outside of the field, Chavez was a great student, graduating from Birmingham High School in 2012. His performance in the classrooms and on the field led him to earn a full scholarship to attend the California State University in Los Angeles.

The Chivas USA family offers its deepest condolences to the friends and family of Julio Chávez. Both the U17/18 and U15/16 squads are determined to fight in the USSDA playoffs and earn the national championship to honor the great teammate Julio Chávez was. Chivas USA will honor the player's life and remember him by wearing a black armband with his name and number and hosting a moment of silence before the SuperClásico game vs. LA Galaxy on Sunday, June 23 at the StubHub Center.